plague

Plural: plagues

Noun

• a serious (sometimes fatal) infection of rodents caused by Yersinia pestis and accidentally transmitted to humans by the bite of a flea that has bitten an infected animal
• any epidemic disease with a high death rate
• a swarm of insects that attack plants
  • "a plague of grasshoppers"
• any large scale calamity (especially when thought to be sent by God)
• an annoyance
  • "those children are a damn plague"
• The bubonic plague, the pestilent disease caused by the virulent bacterium Yersinia pestis.
• An epidemic or pandemic caused by any pestilence, but specifically by the above disease.
• A widespread affliction, calamity, or destructive influx, especially when seen as divine retribution.
• A grave nuisance, whatever greatly irritates.
• A group of common grackles.

Verb

Verb Forms: plagued, plaguing, plagues

• To persistently annoy, harass, or cause distress to someone.
• cause to suffer a blight
• annoy continually or chronically
• To harass, pester or annoy someone persistently or incessantly.
• To afflict with a disease or other calamity.

Examples

• Bart is an utter plague; his pranks never cease.
• Natural catastrophes plagued the colonists till they abandoned the pestilent marshland.
• Ten Biblical plagues over Egypt, ranging from locusts to the death of the crown prince, finally forced Pharaoh to let Moses's people go.
• The constant "bing" of notifications would PLAGUE his concentration during intense Words With Friends matches.

Synonyms

beset, blight, chevvy, chevy, chivvy, chivy, harass, harry, hassle, infestation, molest, pest, pestilence, pestis, provoke, badger, bait, bedevil, beleaguer, bug, give someone grief, hound, murrain, persecute, pester, pick at, plague, scourge, torment, vex

Anagrams of plague